


Unreachable

by nekoirma



Category: Bleach
Genre: Blood and Violence, Cults, Human AU, M/M, magical reality, will update as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:20:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24897589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekoirma/pseuds/nekoirma
Summary: Hirako Shinji indulges in a late-night stroll when he finds himself kidnapped, tied-up and forced to participate in some kind of weird cultist ritual. But the oddities of the night are far from over when he meets a mysterious being beyond his understanding and its  hat and clogs wearing "creator".
Relationships: Aizen Sousuke/Hirako Shinji, Aizen Sousuke/Urahara Kisuke, Hirako Shinji/Urahara Kisuke, Urahara Kisuke/Aizen Sousuke/Hirako Shinji
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my first series for Bleach!
> 
> I'd like to also drop a few warnings for this chapter in particular: Dub-con at the beginning in particular and mild gore.   
> The story itself will likely not focus much on these aspects, but be warned for this chapter in particular. Any other warnings will go per each chapter.
> 
> And as you've noticed in the tags this is a fanfic featuring the Polyship I dub "Three Rats" (Urahara, Aizen and Hirako), which starts off as established Urahara/Aizen, but evolves further as we go.
> 
> Anyway, without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

Dusk started to settle into the peaceful alleys of Karakura town as Shinji made his way to the nearest convenience store. He was walking slowly, with a lax and confident stride, looking up occasionally to catch a glimpse of the setting sun spilling its orange hues all over the sky. He shivered slightly, body adjusting to the sudden wave of cold that hit him as nighttime steadily approached. The last thing he remembered thinking about was which flavour of instant ramen he should try that day before he felt several pairs of hands grasping him from behind and mercilessly dragging him into the darkness of an adjacent alleyway.

He regained consciousness sometime after, mind hazy, vision blurred and in no capacity to determine where he was or what time it was. As feeling returned into his limbs he realized there was a weight on his waist, warm and foreign. It was alive and keeping him immobile. Well, that and the handcuffs which had been strapped onto his arms, unyielding as he tried to wriggle out of his captivity. The surface underneath gave way to his body's movements easily and having registered its softness Shinji's dazed brain finally managed to piece together a conclusion regarding his status. All he knew was that he was alive, strapped to a bed, who knows where and with somebody or some _thing_ on top of his hips, keeping him in place.

As the image in his eyes slowly came into focus he could discern that yes, the weight on him did belong to a person, but the more he looked at the figure in front of him the more questions arose. First of all his gaze landed on the (presumable) man's eyes. White irises surrounded by a beautiful shade of purple. Shinji happened to know many body modification junkies, but that was the first time he'd see eyes like that and of a hue so vibrant. Long brown hair cascaded gracefully around his frame, except for one stubborn strand that dangled over his face. He was dressed in what seemed a white body suit, however, possibly due to his hazed state, Shinji had trouble distinguishing it from his skin.

A part of his brain tried to write it off as a nightmare - the figure before him too ethereal, almost unreal, but the sore ache in his body and the heated pressure of the other man on top of him were undoubtedly real. His heart rate increased along with his awareness, body falling into a confused frenzy as his instincts kicked in. The being smirked as he watched him struggle. Mid-flail, as his body fully awoke, he realized his lower body was very much active and in use. Disbelief settled in as he felt himself inside the other man, groaning as his senses were overwhelmed with fear, confusion and pleasure. 

The man leaned over, apparently having been waiting for Shinji to awaken, before starting to move his hips slowly, grinding on the blond. Shinji felt his body relax, betraying his attempts to resist. To his horror, immediately after, hushed chants filled up the room. His eyes darted around, noticing that he was surrounded by masked figures, their faces obscured by white masks, each with only two openings for the eyes. A vertical line separated the masks into two sides. 

Was he captured by a cult? Shinji's mind raced through all possibilities. There was no way this wasn't some kind of weird cult. However, compared to the being above him, even the absurd the prospect of facing cultists seemed more grounded - within the reach of his human mind. He hadn't had much experience with cults in particular, however, there could still be a fighting chance.

The ethereal figure riding him didn't seem too different from a human being, yet the aura he exuded, the mere presence, oppressive and domineering, was like nothing he had felt before. His body, made out of mere flesh and bone instinctually gave up any resistance - his entire humanity surrendering to something beyond his understanding. It was as if his body was compressed by a tidal wave, crushed into a puddle by an invisible force and yet kept intact at the same time. He wasn't sure if it was due to the sheer mind-numbing terror he felt or the continuous stimulation, but somehow he felt himself release. 

Chants turned into eerie howls, still human, but on the verge of turning bestial and the being on top of him shuddered, an echoing sigh escaping from its lips. The surreal spectacle grew more twisted when he noticed, in a hazy blur, the physical changes in the creature atop him. His body convulsed, Shinji could see twitching muscles contort and transform, rushing to the centre of his torso where his eyes landed on a purple orb, which he thought was a simple decoration, but upon inspection was embedded in flesh. The tissue around the orb corroded as it started to glow, leaving a hole in his abdomen as the mass seemingly moved to his back. Having just been expulsed from his body, the white handfuls of flesh, spread out thinly, forming three pairs of translucent wings. Shinji could only continue watching in awe and horror, overwhelmed by the metamorphosis unfolding right before his eyes and by the droning yowls of the cultists. 

He couldn't tell if the other's face was contorting in pain or pleasure - Shinji would probably bet on pain, since from a suddenly conspicuous slit in his forehead, drenched in blood, a bulging third eye opened, moving its iris around in rapid motions.

After letting out another deep, otherworldly sigh, as his form settled into reality, the being's wing spread, fluttering slightly, spreading what seemed to be odd, glowing dust. The spectacle had the cultist crowd cheer, desperately trying to grasp the particles. Their shimmer enveloped the whole room, giving it an eerie purple radiance, overwhelming the already dim candlelight. 

As his eyes darted across the room, horror turned into unease as the situation grew beyond reason and he started giving up on making any sense of it. Shinji managed to turn his head towards the being, who to his surprise, was staring at him intently. White irises met his own brown ones, as he could hear his heart's thumping grow louder in his ears, especially when the accursed third eye stopped its feverish rotations and fixated on him. Despite being unable to define the form above him as "ugly", he still could feel his stomach turn and twist in fear and nausea as the man above him smiled. He did not expect however to hear the other speak. 

"Do not fear, it will all be over soon," despite the potentially menacing meaning of the words, the low comforting voice relaxed Shinji's whole being. It was an eerie sensation, having something control his very bodily functions with its mere voice, and to be honest, Shinji was getting a bit tired of getting toyed around with. 

The brief moment of (forced) calm was interrupted by the sounds of a cultist choking violently, coughing out dark clumps of blood, collapsing onto the ground in intense convulsions. Before shock or panic could settle into the group of hooded figures, more members followed suit, dropping dead in mere moments, tumbling onto each other like sacks of potatoes. In the brief time Shinji looked away to observe the chaos, the being managed to revert to its original form and upon noticing his gaze, smiled playfully. 

A sudden clanking noise that reminded him of footsteps jerked Shinji's head towards its source and the being clad in white followed suit. A disheveled man in a bicolored hat announced his presence with a pair of infernally noisy clogs. His messy dirty blond hair, wrinkly swamp green kimono and unkempt stubble almost caused Shinji to assume he was yet another shady cultist, but he seemed way too bizarre even for those weirdos. And he was clutching what looked like a fan. Shinji felt like he just couldn't catch a break with all the nonsense happening one after the other.

"My~ Good job, good job, Sousuke ♥!" the stranger extended his calloused hand, which the being took gracefully, making motions to finally get off of Shinji. 

The bound blond winced as he felt the cool air hit his skin when the other fully removed himself off the bed and nonchalantly plopped onto some cultist's corpse with a loud squish. 

Not really understanding what's going on, but noticing that the two turned around towards the only exit of the room, Shinji decided to push his luck. Scared shitless as he was, he still asked:

"Hey!! Are y'all gonna untie me or something?" his voice ended up cracking midway as he was considerably dehydrated. Dignity be damned, he wanted a way out. 

"Oya, there's a survivor?" the man replied with a question, feigning his disbelief.

Before Shinji could yell some more, the creature turned around to the man in kimono and waved his hand dismissively.

"He is not part of the cult. He is simply a human they dragged in for me," he said, visibly amused and although he was right, his tone pissed Shinji off.

"My, isn't he quite the poor thing," the man eyed him curiously.

"If ye feel so sorry for me, can you maybe fucking untie me already?" Shinji wiggled his bound wrists for further emphasis. He winced slightly as his body finally registered the chafed skin left by the leather.

"Oh, right, right! Sorry about that," the stranger said in an attempt at an apology, which was undermined by the cheery laugh that followed it. Soon enough, Shinji was finally freed from the captivity of the bed and even managed to restore some dignity by zipping up his pants. Still, he was far from relieved of his need for answers. 

He looked up to the pair in front of him and before he could open his mouth, the stranger, as if reading his thoughts began speaking:

"So, you see," he started awkwardly while pointing at himself and then at the being beside him,"Sousuke and I have been trying to weed out this particular...cult leader, for quite some time. Him and I, we have a past together and... long story short I need to find him," he finished, clasping his hands as if to announce the end of a play. 

Shinji noted the lack of specifics, but, in light of the absurdity of the situation decided to relent and accept the little information he got. He nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer, and decided not to push it any further. Thankfully, due to the nature of his previous job, he could take care of his mental state. Well, the cult stuff he could deal with. Now then, as for the other, less normal part of his ordeal...

"And what about that...him?" he looked in the direction of the no-longer-winged mysterious being. Shinji's not one to believe in the supernatural, as his previous employment trained him to find the rational in the inexplicable, but this was beyond any reasoning. 

"Ah," the man paused, giving him a sharp look, "you mean Sousuke?"

Shinji nodded curtly. The creature simply smiled knowingly.

"I suppose we owe you an explanation. Very well then!" The man waved his closed fan excitedly, "Sousuke, he...He's quite the specimen, isn't he? He is my creation, so no wonder he's so perfect," he trailed off playfully.

"How humble of you, Kisuke," the being named Sousuke chuckled in a deep baritone.

"Hahah, well, I let them capture him to gather data. You see, they're very interested in beings like Sousuke - they believe mating with him brings prosperity and grants wishes and whatnot," he gestured with his fan, opening it midway, "Which is, obviously nothing but hogwash. Sousuke does nothing of the sort, he's just here to collect info on..."

The man prodded one of the cultist corpses with the tip of his foot. 

"...These guys. Unfortunately, they managed to cut off the connection between me and Sousuke and hide him, so we had no choice but to dispose of them mid-ritual."

Shinji was suddenly feeling very uneasy. The stranger, face mostly hidden by his fan, looked at him cautiously. 

"No need to be so high strung, whew! I initially thought you were a cult member, but you ended up being just an uninvolved civilian...I am very sorry for what you had to go through," he bowed in apology.

Shinji scoffed at his theatrics. This whole ordeal shaved off a solid 10 years of his lifespan. He couldn't help but think of the many others that had to go through similar bullshit just because of that man's mess. 

"See, the cult members all drank poisoned wine before this," he continued, "So when Sousuke released his wings, the surrounding dust cause the poison to turn active! Thus, bam, ending their lives," he gestured excitedly until the steadily forming grimace on Shinji's made him trail off.

"Ah, you're fine though," the man switched the subject promptly, waving his fan dismissively, "You're in no danger, you didn't drink it! I know I might be the least trustworthy person in your eyes at the moment, but I swear on it!"

Shinji gulped as he took in the new information. So he was lucky to even be alive, huh. Thankfully, they didn't make him drink anything, not that he would remember. Unsure of what else to do, he decided to cautiously believe the man's words. As unbelievable as everything that night had been, it still had happened to him, just like that, out of the blue. His trembling hand reached for the front pocket of his pants - where he kept his cigarettes. He rarely smoked, but he kept some on him, specifically for shit like this.

His eyes widened in shock when he found his pockets empty. He patted down all around his body, panicking as he was met with nothing but flattened fabrics.

"Um, pray tell, what are you doing?" the mysterious man before him inquired, stretching his neck towards him, as if to see better. The being mimicked his motions.

"My stuff! My belongings!! My passport and wallet!! My cigarettes!! Where are they???"

The two in front of him looked at each other with puzzled expressions as Shinji scoured all over the room for his missing possessions.

"If you can't find them here then I'm afraid they've been disposed of. I guess they planned to get rid of you afterwards or something," the man said casually. 

"That would seem like it. I never saw the men brought to me again after the ceremony. I suppose they were discarded," the creature pitched in just as nonchalantly, as if talking about his grocery list.

"You were fortunate it seems," he added, smiling smugly.

"Fortunate? Ye have gotta' be kidding me!" Shinji clutched his head in disbelief. But after letting out a drawn out sigh, he seemed to compose himself briefly.

"Well, ugh, I guess in a sense I am...But what should I do now? I don't live here, they won't let me anywhere without any papers, and it's not like...I can call anyone..." he trailed off, suddenly turning quiet.

The stranger looked over at him:

"No relatives?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"Nah, I'm jus' wanderin' around the world on my own..." he replied, scratching the back of his head. Well, not really, he thought, but he couldn't tell his life story just like that to some strangers. And especially not to these lunatics.

The man's face suddenly lit up as he crossed the distance between him and Shinji, just barely outside of what Shinji would consider his personal space.

"Then why not stay with us for a while? We owe you for getting you involved in this, and you helped me rescue Sousuke," the man spread both of his arms demonstratively in "Sousuke's" direction, "Ah! You can even work at my shop and earn some cash while you're at it!" he continued jerking his fan forwards and almost hitting Shinji's face with it.

"How about it? Doesn't sound too bad, eh?" 

Shinji blinked in confusion at this proposition and the tip of the fan inches away from his face.

"Shop?" he mumbled back.

"Yes! Exactly! My name is Urahara Kisuke - I am but a humble candy merchant. This here is the lovely Aizen Sousuke. He is my," the merchant paused, covering his face with his fan "partner."

Shinji looked at them cautiously. Well, he didn't have much of a choice, didn't he? Not many decent places would hire him without any papers on him, and here was an offer right in front of him ( and physically speaking, perhaps too close). Deciding it was worth a shot to take it up, just for as long as he needed to get back to where he could be on his own again, Shinji extended his arm to Urahara Kisuke:

"Uh...Hirako Shinji, nice to meet ye. I guess I can't say no to an offer like that then?" he grinned awkwardly.

"Oh, trusting me just like that?" the merchant peeked over from his fan, "I like you already! I feel like we're gonna get along just fine!" he laughed with gusto.

"Heh, don't get too ahead of yerself. Can't scam me that easily when I'm awake."

The trio then made motions towards the exit, Shinji hesitating to approach "Sousuke" in any way, still unnerved by his presence. Letting the other two walk ahead of him, Kisuke briefly stopped by a trash can, producing a pack of cigarettes from the lapels of his kimono. He threw it away discreetly, smiling to himself. Turning around, he jogged lightly to catch up with the others. 


	2. Nosy neighbour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things move along

Just as Shinji approached what seemed to be the exit of the decrepit building he had just been held hostage in, he felt Urahara's hand grasp his shoulder:

"Wait a minute, Hirako-san, there is something we must do first," sharp eyes met his from under the man's hat.

"Do what?" Shinji inquired, not getting his answer, for the other had already turned towards the creature.

"Sousuke, would you return to your "default" form, please?" the shopkeeper's voice turned soft and gentle - a change so jarring it made the already tense Shinji flinch.

"Oh? Of course," the being replied with amusement. Immediately after, his form got enveloped in harsh light that lasted a brief, blinding moment. Shinji averted his eyes, but noted that Urahara kept his own glued to the other man, despite the violent onslaught of photons. Shinji assumed he was either used to it, or, judging by his mesmerized expression, too in awe to notice. Hadn't he created that thing in the first place? What was there to be so fascinated about? Argh, Shinji came to terms that he couldn't really understand that weirdo. Although he had to admit, the unfolding transformation was impressive.

Sousuke's hair lost most of its length, now barely reaching the base of his neck, although one strand of hair remained stubbornly stuck in its place. His eyes were no longer a freakish mix of purple and white - a warm, deep brown hue imbued them with humanity, though scant traces of their initial dangerous sharpness lingered. And finally, the white skin-suit was fully gone,  
replaced with regular skin. In fact too much skin. By which Shinji meant, the man was naked, save for the same unnerving purple orb pulsating within his abdomen - the only vestige of the being's otherworldly nature. Shinji had but a glimpse of the man's lower half when his attention turned to Urahara, who, somehow, produced a pair of jeans, shoes, a T-shirt, and even underwear from thin air.

The shopkeeper observed Sousuke dress below the belt in giddy trepidation, leaving Shinji in absolute befuddlement. He grimaced in confusion when the other proceeded to excitedly put on the T-shirt over Sousuke's raised hands, as if preparing him for his first day of kindergarten. He finished up with patting down any visible wrinkles, and after nodding to himself, the shady seller seemed pleased.

He turned around and urged Shinji to get a move on. The blond opened his mouth in disbelief, then closed it, then opened it again, before deciding he had too many questions to ask, and they were probably better left for later as hopefully, the more urgent ones cleared up.

They walked around for a while, the humid summer air feeling eerily quiet in the late hours of the night, though it was occasionally disrupted by the low hum of any vending machines they happened to pass by. Neither tried to strike up a conversation, so the long walk was mostly filled by the erratic sound of unsynchronized footsteps.

Shinji decided to poke around once the silence had grown unbearable.

"Say, so he can transform into a... Uh... Normal human?" Shinji asked cautiously. He wasn't really sure if he would even get any answers.

"Ah, well, yes, we can't really have him walk around in his other form in public now can't we?"

Shinji shrugged. Why not? He would probably be mistaken for a cosplayer of some kind. Or just a weirdo. Shinji had seen plenty of those, and honestly, he'd probably compliment him for his dedication to body modification if it weren't for the fact that well... it was not just body modifications.

After another quiet spell as Shinji wasn't really able to spark a meaningful conversation, he started to doubt the alleged shopkeeper's words. Shinji was beginning to worry he would be dragged to another cult, when his eyes landed on a small, unremarkable shack with the words "Urahara Shop" written across a simple sign.

"Eh, what do you think? Welcome to my humble little store~!" Urahara announced with enthusiasm, earning an unimpressed look from his guest. He paused for a brief moment, as if waiting for a reaction or perhaps for dramatic effect, before continuing.

"Well, then. Let's get right in, shall we? So we don't need to worry about... potential eavesdropping..." he added in a hushed tone, warily darting his eyes across the premises of the front of the small shop.

Shinji mirrored his motions taking a good, thorough look around the premises, pulse racing at the mere thought that they were being followed. He had enough trouble for one day.

Convinced that yes, they were alone, unless the the ear piercing yowling of a stray cat could be considered surveillance. He turned around to bitch to Urahara for making him paranoid, however both men had already reached the shop's entrance, its owner rummaging through the folds of his kimono.

He caught up to them with a light jog when Urahara produced a pair of keys (with a cheap, plastic black cat keychain), shaking them proudly with a metallic jingle.

"Done admiring the scenery, Hirako-san?" which had Shinji scoff at him. Yeah, right, run down cramped office buildings as far as the eye can see are quite a sight to behold, he huffed.

Urahara made his way in first, announcing his presence with the noisy clack of his geta against the wooden floor, followed by Sousuke, who made his way with an air of absolute confidence, like he owned the place. Or more like he owned Urahara, who owned the place.

Shinji lagged behind, inspecting the small interior as he stepped in carefully. The old wood underneath him creaked under his weight, adding to the cacophony of the shopkeeper's footwear. Oddly enough, Sousuke's footsteps seemed to be completely silent.

The place didn't seem like much - a few rows of shelves filled up with a variety of trinkets and snacks made up most of it, though he did notice magazine rack in the back. Just above it he found a clock mounted on the wall whose hands indicated that it was only 12:55 A.M. It made Shinji furrow his brows in confusion, he had thought he spent much longer in captivity.

"Is something the matter?" the low voice of the brunet had Shinji's body tense up - even in "human form" Sousuke made him feel uneasy.

"Nothin'," he replied nervously, "S'just, its much earlier than I thought..."

"Oh yeah!" Urahara chirped, beckoning the two to follow him into the back of the store, presumably into the living quarters, "Thankfully, this time we had a bit of help, so I could pick up Sousuke much earlier than usual."

"Help?" Shinji inquired with interest, tripping on a step he didn't notice in the dark. Miserably standing up on his knees, he heard Sousuke chuckle above him. The man stretched out his arm, helping Shinji get back up, and from up close Shinji noticed that despite his previously amused tone, Sousuke wasn't smiling.

"Yes. Help," he answered flatly, "Although, I would find her to be more of a nuisance, but I suppose not having to deal with the bodies this once could be considered "helpful"".

Shinji immediately shook his hand off.

"Pretty generous, I'd say," he replied sarcastically. He thought back on the mound of corpses left after the ritual. The two weirdos before him seemed way too comfortable with the topic, but even Shinji still had trouble stomaching the sight of death. When he had time to mull over it, which there was plenty of recently, the grotesque sight of exposed guts and mushy innards would haunt him in his sleep. Normally, he'd choose to run away from such trouble, but apparently he'd stepped into something much bigger this time. Just his luck.

Right. About that. Once back and stable on his two feet and just as Urahara turned on the lights in the hallway of the living quarters, he opened his mouth with the full intent of interrogating the shady salesman. However, just then, Urahara turned around to face him.

"Say, Hirako-san, do you mind if we leave any questions for tomorrow?" he began, as if having read Shinji's mind, "I would advice you rest for tonight - take a bath, rest well and I promise I will listen to your inquiries in the morning."

Shinji took note at his choice of words. "Listen", not "answer" his questions. Well, he had little choice in the matter. For all he knew he could wake up tomorrow with the house magically blown away by a tornado, the two mysterious men gone with it, but such was the nature of his predicament.

"Well, I 'spose that could work," he grinned toothily. Fatigue started creeping in as his body caught up with the absurdity of the past few hours.

"Very well then!" Urahara's flip to his cheery demeanour was jarring as usual, "Right this way then! I'll show you the bathroom. There's nothing better than a soak after a long day of hard work, yes~?"

Shinji tuned out the other's chitchat, mindlessly following his host into a humble, ordinary bathroom. It had the basic amenities, but not much else, but it was more than enough for now. Urahara mentioned something about bringing him a change of clothes as he exited the room, yet the brunet didn't budge.

Shinji loosened his tie uncomfortably - he would've started undressing, had the other man not been watching him intently. He grimaced in discomfort.

"Are ye gonna just stand there, or... I'd like to have some privacy, y'know?" Instead of getting the fuck out, Sousuke smirked, definitely not getting the message.

"I said! Could you please fuckin' leave?" he barked, overtaken by annoyance at the other's stubbornness.

"Oh? I wasn't aware this was your residence? Last time I checked, you were only a guest," the brunet leaned onto the wall behind him, reasserting his intent of staying.

"Heh, so that's how it's gonna be...," the blond's expression darkened - he was ready to forcibly show Aizen the way out.

Thankfully, Kisuke rushed in, dumping a handful of garments on Shinji and dragging Sousuke along on his way back out.

"Sorry about that! Haha, I've spoiled him by letting him join me in the bath, oh, but you take your time and relax, Hirako-san!" he blurted out, slamming the door shut.

Shinji heard Sousuke mumble something on the other side, but quickly dismissed it, deciding instead to find a place to leave the clothes Kisuke so kindly shoved into his hands. When he finally had a good look he realized it was the same puke-green jinbei the he'd seen on the shopkeeper. He realized in absolute horror that the man had multiples of that unflattering getup. He knew looking a gift horse in the mouth was rude, but when it came to fashion, Shinji had some standards...at least for himself.

Thankfully, there were no interruptions or uninvited guests to his brief reprise. Shinji let his body soak in the warm water, mind at ease as his felt his problems evaporate. Even if it was a moment of tranquility in an otherwise uncertain situation, he let himself enjoy it fully. The humble bathroom gave off a homey feeling and it had been a while since he last stayed at a place he could call "home".

Which reminded him. He had noted the number of doors in the hallway. The shop was small, there was likely not much else to it, not even a garage - he saw the shop's minivan parked at the side of the building. There were five doors in total. Excluding the one he was currently occupying, only four. Considering one had to be the kitchen; another one possibly the living room, and one likely for "Sousuke"... He would be grateful to crash in the living room or something, but if he were to stay here for a while...

Despite his easygoing demeanour, Shinji was quite the advocate for privacy. He would bear with it, again, he couldn't complain when he was kindly offered a roof over his head, and for free at that. But the sheer prospect of waking up to that creature walking around freaked him out a bit. Sousuke's fixation with him was, to put it lightly, unnerving.

When he felt like he was about to doze off, Shinji stepped out of the bath, then dried himself off with a towel sporting the name of the store on its side. This place had merch...?

Not dwelling too much on it, he reluctantly put on the jinbei and tossed his own clothes into the washer. He almost wished he could just as easily wash away the previous day off of him, but the smell of cheap detergent wafting off from Urahara's clothes reminded him that it was only the beginning. And to top it off, the garb Urahara gave him was so wrinkled one would think it was pulled out of his ass, like the rest of the random items the shopkeeper seemingly produces out of thin air. Would it kill him to iron?

He peeked into the hallway, unsure if he should wait for Kisuke or risk opening one of the doors, when the man himself appeared right beside him, startling the blond.

"Oh, I knew it! It looks really good on you! Not as handsome as me though, sorry!" the shady salesman laughed heartily, but quickly reverted to a more neutral expression as he showed Shinji around.

"That over there is the living room - the kitchen right next to it, so feel free to get a snack if you feel hungry, but don't be too greedy and ruin your appetite, okay?" He pointed at the two doors in the far back, "Oh, and if you feel like cooking, don't use up the tofu, alright?"

So there were only two other rooms left. One of them had to be the guest bedroom, Shinji mused.

Urahara's hand moved to the room opposite the hallway.

"Let's move on to the room you'll be staying in, then," he suggested.

Shinji nodded and followed his lead, finding himself in a plain, rather empty room. It was a spacious, traditional room, bare in furniture - a desk with a lamp and few cushions tossed around the tatami floor and a dresser.

Shinji had assumed one of the two bedrooms would belong to Urahara's "creation", but once he noticed the salesman rolling out a second futon he grinned. So he would be rooming with the owner, huh? Well, Shinji could live with that. As shady as he seemed, Shinji felt a sort of kinship to Kisuke who was going out of his way to be accommodating. As a fellow oddball, Shinji felt like they would get along.

"Sorry for having you stay in my room. It's not much, but I hope you feel comfortable," Urahara said apologetically.

"Ye kiddin'?" Shinji grinned, "Ya letting me have a proper room to sleep in when I'd be grateful to crash in the living room. As far as I'm concerned this is a five hotel suite," Shinji replied playfully.

"Hahah, please, Hirako-san, you're really exaggerating. I really wish I could offer you the guest room, but I'm afraid my assistant Tessai is already occupying it..."

Shinji froze. Hold on. The other room is taken? Then where is Sousuke-

"Kisuke, have you seen my towel?"

Oh, there he was. Shinji turned around to find Sousuke right behind him, the unexpected proximity making him jump away slightly. The other seemed to have just come out of the bath, wet hair drenching the plain yukata he had on. He caught Shinji's gaze with a sly smirk, but immediately headed towards Kisuke who was scurrying to find a towel.

"Aah, I'm sorry, Sousuke, I might've given your towel to our guest over there... Here, let me help you," the shopkeeper said, gently drying off Sousuke's hair with a random green towel.

Shinji watched Urahara coddle the other man, a bit disturbed at the unusual relationship of the two. Shinji was normally not one to judge, he had just attended his good friend, Rose's wedding just the other year, but Rose was married to a normal human man, not an... unknown creature.

"Ah, Hirako-san, no need to wait for us. I have already set up your futon so you can just go to bed first."

This snapped Shinji out of his stupor, the reality that he would still be sharing a room with that unnerving being finally settling in, as much as he hated it. He had hoped, that maybe, by some miracle, Sousuke was sharing a room with Tessai instead, but he should've known.

Shinji slipped into his futon, facing Kisuke who was busy making preparations for the night while Sousuke just... stood around. He wondered if it was rude to just be staring, but he felt too nervous to take his eyes off of the brunet. Sousuke turned towards him and smirked, yet again, much to Shinji's annoyance, before turning the lights off, just as Kisuke finished setting the bedding.

Wait, Shinji thought when he saw Urahara lay out only one futon, where was Sousuke gonna- Oh. While adjusting to the dark, he could make out Sousuke joining Urahara in his bed as the shopkeeper happily invited him with an excited pat to the space right beside him.

Oh. So they're that kind of "partners", Shinji finally caught up. He felt a twinge of embarrassment at his late realization, but in all fairness that was a monster and Urahara did call it his "creation" so he thought ... well, then again, it's a story as old as time - Pygmalion falling in love with the being he brought to life.

Shinji's intentions of staying vigilant were quickly thwarted when his eyes fully adjusted to the absence of light and he could make out that Sousuke went ahead and draped his leg over Urahara's hips. He turned to the other side, not wanting to be part of their weird little games and to his own surprise, fatigue took over and he drifted into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit on the shorter/emptier side, but the real meat starts next chapter~ i think....


End file.
